What's Happening

I truly hope you have a joyous Christmas everybody and a big heartfelt thankyou from me! I am so grateful for your support and encouragement it really helps keep me going with this little business of mine. Sharing my love of nature, art and design is my motivation and I hope you get enjoyment out of watching it unravel through my Paprly products.

Mand xx

Christmas is here and I have a couple of new designs to celebrate!

Living in Brisbane in December you can’t miss the beautiful vibrant red Poinciana trees which line the streets of many of our suburbs. They are perfect for Chrissy so I’ve used them as inspiration for one of my new wraps with matching tags!

Enjoy x

For this Christmas I have new cards!

All Australian Botanical Flowers with a vintage feel. All proceeds from these will go to www.droughtangels.com.au to support our hard working farmers who are experiencing such devastation with the drought. 
Also I have used vegetable inks on recycled card to do the best I can for our environment. By using @wordswithheart for printing a percentage also goes to educating women and children. 
I hope you like them!

xx

Paprly now has two pattern collections with Emily Ziz style studio which provide finishes to the Interior Design/Architecture industry.

Click on -Bushland Blooms  and the Artisinal Collection to have a look at the designs that are available. Some of my favourites are here, along with some new colourways and brand new designs.

You can choose to have it printed on one of the following substrates- 

~Fabrics

~Wallpaper and glazing solutions

~Rugs and Carpets

~Solid Finishes and Acoustic solutions

Go to- www.emilyziz.com.au to see more!

The second half of this year I've been working on some new designs for you. Australian flowers sound familiar? Yup I cant seem to let them go! My eyes are like magnets to anything flowering around me and drawing it is my reflex, oh and also picking copious amounts and having way to many vases filled to the brim in my house :) The Grevillea has been just divine so many colours and all flowering in my garden too such a treat. So look out for the new prints in my shop Bush Wattle, Bush Grevillea and Pink Gum Blossom. A beautiful trio in super pretty colours.

Enjoy, Mand x

I recently got my sewjo back and have been busy making some new tea towels from the Australian Botanicals range. I have limited stock on these so get in quick! Printed on beautiful linen and handmade by me :)

My new Tropical collection is here! Forever inspired by the beauty of the natural world around me, I found moving to Queensland presented a whole new range of plants and flowers to entertain me. Lush tropical ones, with gorgeous brilliant colours and plenty of bugs to go with them! Therefore, last year I embarked on my usual journey of observation and drawing to come up with a set of new prints. A range of Brissy blooms I found in my travels, Bougainvillea, Jacaranda, Bromeliad. There are also plenty of striking leafy greens with some bug life in there too. All available on wrap and tags, I hope you like them :)

Hi Folks!

Well it's been an action packed start to the year where I find myself writing the first blog for 2018 at Easter! Eeeeekkkk! I have a lovely new wrapping to celebrate. It depicts one of our most iconic of Australian plants, the gum tree. Such a beauty! I am constantly picking up and finding different leaves in such a glorious range of bush colours from earthy greens through to pretty pinks. This is the perfect wrapping to say 'Australia'. All hand drawn pencil and watercolour leaves. 

I hope you are sitting somewhere under a gum tree in the shade relaxing this Australian Easter break. I certainly will be! 

Mand xx

Due to popularity I've introduced this Xmas paper as an all occasion paper. All fully stocked and ready for you to wrap, roll, hang, cut or fold! All motifs and lettering has been originally drawn by hand before being digitally compiled as a repeat pattern. A really simple design with a subtle Australian flavour. Can you find the following beautiful Australian flowers? Bottlebrush, Wattle, Golden Grevillea, Hakea, Kangaroo paw, Red Grevillea, Golden Banksia and  Silver princess Gum.

At Paprly I am not just about designing wrapping paper. I'm also really driven by making art, any type of art, always have been, always will be. It's a passion. It's the one thing that I can always rely on to be there to provide me with a quiet happy place to retreat to when life starts pulling and pushing me in too many directions!  Sound familiar? Do you have an activity which is your place to escape to from the world? I'm sure you do!

I'm thinking I perhaps learnt some of this from observing my Opa. He was an electrician by trade but really he was an artist. He had a studio under his house where he would sculpt with clay and carve with wood. He would paint, draw, play music you name it, a natural creative. As a small child visitting my grandparents was always an adventure. In fact, I found his art space under the house quite the mystery and was only allowed down there when he was tinkering away on his latest masterpiece, usually accompanied but whistling or singing :) A few of his pieces would end up in local civic centres and public places around Gympie. He was quite the character around town with his long grey beard, pipe and long socks and sandles (so european!) He drove a white mini which he would quite confidently drive right up onto the footpath if there were no street parks, to collect us from the bus stop when we came to visit on the school holidays!! Oh Opa the embarrassment! He always spoke the truth and wasn't afraid of offending anyone, even little old me when I would show him a drawing he wouldn't hold back if he didn't like it. Oh no! He would say 'Oh that's terrible that part but this, yes this is good!' I learnt early on that even if you have a natural ability for something you are still going to have pretty bad days where your work is pretty crappy. Making art really is a process involving practice and turning up everyday, pushing yourself and making a commitment to that! 

Therefore, it's really not surprising to see some art prints surfacing in my shop here. Having not been to art college, I have studied and worked in Art teaching and also Built Environment- Interior Design both creative fields where I have used my creativity for sure and learnt so, so much. However, here you will find creative work which is purely me. You might hate it?! or you might love it?! Whatever your oppinion is, you can be absolutely sure that it is an original representation of how I see the world and the beauty it has to offer. Beauty in the quiet, simple things which usually go unnoticed. These are the things I cherish the most.

P.S

This year I pushed my creative skills a little bit further and exhibited in a local art show, Red Hill Art.  Here were the results-

 The Cactus Garden Series 

Cactus Garden 1 -1130 x870mm Acrylic on Canvas

 Cactus Garden 2- 1130 x 870mm Acrylic on canvas

 Cactus garden petites 400 x400mm Acrylic on canvas

 And don't forget all my new A4 art prints are up in the shop now also go check them out!!!!

Gasp! These amazing paper weavings are the work of a very clever lady, qualified computer science engineer, industrial designer and self taught artist, Gunjan Aylawadi.

I fell in love with these intricate, woven patterns immediately. The technical skill and accuracy blows my mind not to mention the superb designs elements of shape and colour. All woven by hand!!! It ticks all the creative boxes for me, paper, pattern and weaving, all rolled into one glorious design/s. Here let me show you more.....

Artist Statement/Bio (http://www.gunjanaylawadi.com/cv-bio/)

Having grown up in India amongst tremendous economic diversity and now living in Australia amongst huge cultural diversity, the contrast between consumption - mindful or mindless and austerity - forced or chosen, has never been more vivid for Gunjan Aylawadi. Through her unique and intricate, paper tapestry technique, she explores the intersection between craft traditions, sensory pleasures she experienced growing up and the new culture she finds herself in now. Crafting thoughtful mosaics out of personal reflections, she creates works with simple materials and processes that are as important as the end result - illustrating the quiet power of slowing down and a thoughtful absorption of our environments.

What do you think?? I would describe this as paper and pattern heaven!  I also love the way this craft encourages 'slowing down'. Such a great concept living in today's fast paced world.

I am not completely sure how they are made it looks like lengths of curled paper close-up? However, I am quite content with not knowing and simply allowing the wonder and magic of these pieces to speak for themselves.

Here is some more amazingness enjoy and thankyou Gunjan for bringing this beauty into the world I can't wait to see what you do next!

You can follow Gunjan on IG @gunjanay

On Sunday the 8th of January I set up shop at the Melbourne Collective Market in Mornington. A new local curated market featuring new and emerging artists, designers and makers from the Mornington Peninsula. Here's a few snaps and huge thanks to my Dad for making me the frame to hang my paper from, which looked amzing! My Mum for insisting to help me finish sorting all the tags as well as Tony, my husband and kids for helping me set up. What a team it looked awesome  :) 

It was a great day which ran quite smoothly apart from me spilling a whole vase of water over my stock before doors opened! Arghhhh a fabulous start! I was pretty fortunate that my quick thinking neighbour threw a bunch of hand towels my way just after it happened which soaked up most of the water, leaving me thank goodness, with only a handful of damaged stock. Phew! Paper and water not a good combination lol Thank goodness for fast thinking stall neighbours is all I can say!

As I got chatting with Rebecca after thanking her profusely a number of times of course :) I started to learn more about her and her wonderful art. Rebecca Coulter @artistastyle  is a local artist to the Mornington Peninsula whom paints, illustrates and makes stunning paper barnacle sculptures (as well as on occasion saves her neighbouring stallholders from near disaster!) and her work is well, to put lightly, truly amazing. 

She is inspired by things with fronds, fins, wings, waves and seedpods. Her delicate and instricate use of linework combined with stunning use of marine colours creates her beautiful, unique signature style. It's the type of art work that has amazing technical accuracy along with that magical element. You could quite easily just dive right into it, just like diving into the ocean, and experience instant, beautiful, serene calm.  

Her paper barnacles are so simple and unique. Made from paper pulp and moulded to form amazing barnacle shapes. She also groups some of these into wall hangings with driftwood and natural string. Beautiful.

 Along with her artistic talent she is also hands down a lovely person, totally professional and so dedicated to her creative work. She's the first stallholder I've been next to at a market who has a 'no sitting' policy, that's right folks she stood the whole 5 hours! boy that's dedication for you :)

You can find more of her inspirational work here at www.artistastyle.com.au or on Instagram @artistastyle as well as at many of the local peninsula markets. If you subscribe to her newsletter on her website you can keep up to date with her latest work and where she will be selling. Go check her out now and if Rebecca you are reading this thank-you so very much again!!!! xx

It was a real pleasure - but a long process - putting this collection together.  At the time I didn't have the intention of it becoming a pattern collection - it was purely a creative activity which ran for nearly two years. If you have followed me on my Instagram feed (@neekienoo) you would have watched these patterns roll out.  Here I am sharing some background art work.  This isn't everything, I have so many.  It's just a selection. 

We had just spent a year living in New Zealand and had returned to Australia, so I was in the habit of opening my eyes and discovering new things. I started to really notice new plants and flowers while walking around my local area and realised just how amazing and unique they really were. So, week after week through the seasons, I would pick a new plant that was flowering and simply draw, draw, draw and then put together a pattern. It was a very therapeutic process, and at the end of it all I had nine new patterns of local flowering native Australian plants.

How the time flies when you are doing something you love with no real plan but simply following your instinct day by day. It's for this reason that I'm really fond of this collection - it taught me to follow my heart and do what makes me happy.  If you turn up every day, even if it's just for 15 minutes, the momentum of habit will guide you along and before you know it you will have accomplished something pretty meaningful and special.

It was after this collection that I started to focus and get to work on finishing Paprly. Building the website (I have no prior web design skills so this was intense!), sourcing printers, getting samples and formatting the artwork. Again, day after day, bit by bit, many small steps at a time. Don't get me wrong, it didn't always flow.  I had plenty of set-backs and highly frustrating moments. I actually had Paprly up and ready to go when living in NZ, and then we decided to move back to Australia.  Moving with young family twice in two years was enough to put it on the back burner until we were settled again.  Timing is EVERYTHING!!!!!

I have learnt so much through this collection, but first and foremost I have learnt a lot about myself.  I hope you have enjoyed looking at a few process snaps and listening to the story behind the patterns :)

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School holidays are a time for a break in routine and getting out and exploring with the kids. This is also the time I gather a lot and I mean a LOT of photographs of things that inspire me or pattern inspiration.  Heronswood is a place which never ceases to inspire me whatever the season with the gardens so beautiful set up on a hill in Dromana overlooking the ocean. All types of plants from edible, dry climate and tropical plants and all sizes huge pines and oaks down to the most tiny delicate spring flowering plants. Oh and I adore the fact they mow around the lawn daisies allowing scatterings of them around the grassy areas they really are so pretty! It's not only the gardens which are stunning though the heritage building is a beautiful cafe and restaurant offering scrummy food. In particular we love the scones freshly made and of course coffee :) There is also a garden shop and diggers club selling rare heirloom seeds and a education centre. Always something unique to discover.

I took way too many photographs so click on the 'Heronswood gardens'  link below for a short clip on flipagram showing a few of the highlights or better still take a visit yourself. The paper daisies were of course my fave and the kids loved the wander down to the tree swing amongst the weeping willows much to my boys delight a good boggy track. Gumboots a good idea however I love seeing my kids shoes getting muddy we need to do it more :)

 Heronswood Gardens

Every year I participate in a surface design course online with the Make It In Design School in the UK.  It's a great opportunity to get those creative juices flowing and connect with like-minded designers from around the world.  I have met and now follow many talented artists - it's really so inspiring and I look forward to it every year!  If you have an interest in surface design, I highly recommend their courses designed by Rachael Taylor & Beth Kempton - talented ladies with up-to-date industry experience.  It's beneficial to have some Adobe digital software skills already, however the drawing classes are really user/ beginner friendly and encourage you to experiment with making unique marks with all kinds of tools that you can then transfer to digital design.  Once you have a digital design, you can print it on just about anything fabric, paper, ceramic, plastic or timber - the applications are endless and this is one of the reasons I am so passionate about surface design. So stay tuned - at Paprly I'm not just stopping at wrapping paper!

So the two briefs I participated in were in the advanced track: Modern Pop Art and Summer Botanicals.  For the PopArt brief, I was inspired by hot pink lips and those fun two-tone spot textures found in pop art designs.  For the summer botanicals, it was all about tropical leafy greens like fan palms and native firewheel flowers.  The circular fan type patterns in both plants seemed to be the attraction here and made for wonderful radial style motifs.

So now I think I'll just let the following pictures speak for themselves, some sketches followed by the final patterns. 

Modern Pop Art 'Hot Lips'

Summer Botanicals 'Firewheel Fanpalms'

I am constantly stumbling across the work of artists on the interwebs that takes my breath away. So here I thought I could start sharing some of that with you. This art studio really drew me in from first glance. It's the visual partnership and studio of Ann wood and Dean Lucker in Minnesota called Woodlucker. 

'Ann creates mixed media portraits and theatrical tableaus of mysterious beauty and solace whose identity is grounded in the timeless aesthetic and ethic of rural America. Dean’s work is driven by a passion for vernacular animated traditions which combine a personalized mythology to create mechanical storytelling. Their collaborative work combines a love for illustrated paper art and forgotten histories into engaging objects full of sentiment and longing'. www.woodlucker.com

They share a studio but each have a very distinct style that still blends and works beautifully together. Using the simple but beautiful materials of paper and wood they create the most lyrical pieces that seem to really speak to me. I think I'll just stop there with the descriptions and let the images speak for themselves now. Enjoy! They are also on Instagram @woodlucker which is where discovered and fell in love with their super special work.

Hydrangeas have really made a comeback in the past few years. They're such an old fashioned flower that seems to have a timeless beauty. In Wellington, New Zealand, they are everywhere and have so many different colours and shapes. If you catch the cable car up from the city into the Botanical gardens you can walk back down through a beautiful grove of hydrangeas of every colour and shape - truly magical. 

It was here that I rediscovered them and started to collect, press and draw their different sizes and shapes. As I played, a pattern started to emerge and I became obsessed with the many and varied purple tones which seem to retain quite well even after pressing. 

The different lines and shapes are reminiscent of old fashioned doilies, all frilly with scalloped edges. They really bring out the nanna in me, purple hair rinse and all. What about you - are you an old fashioned hydrangea person at heart?